Report: Amazon will split HQ2 between Long Island City in Queens, and Crystal City in DC

Statue of Liberty overlooking lower Manhattan and New York harbor. (Bigstock Photo)

The latest update in Amazon’s HQ2 sweepstakes came Monday evening from The New York Times, which reported that Amazon is closing in on deals to split its second headquarters across the New York City and Washington D.C. areas.

The Times reports that Amazon will move to the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, which is a 15-minute subway ride across the river from Midtown Manhattan. That’s in addition to another headquarters in the Crystal City area of Arlington, Va., confirming reports from this weekend that Amazon was eyeing the D.C. suburb.

Originally, Amazon said it planned to hire 50,000 employees at its second headquarters, on par with the 45,000 or so working at the company’s original Seattle home.

But earlier Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon would establish HQ2 evenly between two cities. The Journal reported that Amazon was in final discussions with Northern Virginia, Dallas, and New York City.

A notable connection between Amazon and the New York City area is Amazon Web Services CEO Andy Jassy, who grew up in the area and is a big-time New York sports fan.

There are 20 cities in the running for HQ2, though officials in many of them say they haven’t heard from Amazon in months.

Here’s some initial reaction to the New York Times report:

this, by the way, was information amazon has always known, not some factset it miraculously stumbled upon due to a nationwide search

Taylor Soper is a GeekWire staff reporter who covers a wide variety of tech assignments, including emerging startups in Seattle and Portland, the sharing economy and the intersection of technology and sports. Follow him @taylor_soper and email taylor@geekwire.com.